Thursday, 16 September 2021 14:55

Irrigation technology evolves, delivering better value

Written by  Staff Reporters
Irrigation system experts believe the future value from technology and irrigation looks fantastic. Irrigation system experts believe the future value from technology and irrigation looks fantastic.

On-farm irrigation technology has evolved at a fast pace over the last two decades and farmers have both adopted and evolved with it and have helped it evolve, according to WaterForce.

The irrigation system experts believe the future value from technology and irrigation looks fantastic with the evolution of technologies such as advanced AI and satellite/drone data, alongside the improvements in core product lines like sprinklers, and control and monitor products.

"We have plenty of options available to deliver great results for farmers today," it says.

Farm irrigation technology will mean different things to different users.

Generally, technology references the wide range of smart irrigation products that help farmers with water management and water use; and this is commonly available with products such as Valley Irrigation's Valley 365.

These are products for smart control and monitoring of on-farm irrigators. Typically, they are advanced control systems, soil moisture measuring systems, weather stations, flow-meter monitoring and management products like SCADAfarm EDGE.

It can also be adding simple products to a pivot, or linear, like rain buckets, or wind speed indicators, or even upgrading your sprinkler pack.

WaterForce says as farming has evolved, a growing trend both locally and internationally is emerging - a demand for reductions in labour and travel times; and for improvements in the management, and reductions in the use, of water and nutrients.

On-farm technology has evolved to meet this demand, and the toolbox available to farmers is growing every day - from the simple product improvements (like new sprinkler pack technologies) through to the advanced control and monitoring products now available.

A common challenge for users of technology is understanding your core goals and aims before investing in on-farm technology.

To get the best out of technology products they need to be delivering against farm objectives from day one.

More like this

Opuha Dam Commissions New Valve in Major Flood Safety Upgrade

Opuha Dam's ability to protect South Canterbury communities from major flooding has taken a significant step forward, with Opuha Water Limited (OWL) successfully commissioning a new outlet valve capable of releasing record volumes of water from the dam ahead of a weather event.

Featured

Southland Farmers Face Wet Weather Toll, Support Available

Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.

How Wearable Tech Powers This 1,850-Cow Dairy Farm

For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.

New Dairy Welfare Code Released, Takes Effect 2027

The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter